


Chickpea

by Snowish



Category: Cuphead (Video Game)
Genre: Canon Divergence, Gen, Slow Burn, author just really likes the plant you guys........, i mean i guess
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-06
Updated: 2018-01-01
Packaged: 2019-02-11 12:53:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12935709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Snowish/pseuds/Snowish
Summary: An odd plant comes to Inkwell Isle 1 to inquire about getting a job. According to most people, the flower hiring is quite the grump, and is best left alone.Before they can spend enough time with him to find out if that's true, residents of the isle start getting attacked by the brothers, Cuphead and Mugman.Will things be sorted out so the plant can get back to their regular life?---------------------------Oof I am weak for the plant.Before we begin I'm going to clarify that the plant is supposed to mainly be a representation of me, the author, but at the same time they're sort of in OC limbo as well so uh??? Not everything about them is parallel to me. I'm Fine. Trust Me.Anyway, if you want to read something I wrote to Treat myself, then by all means go ahead.And just real quick here's a pic of the Strange Plant in question because my writing description is Shit: https://ask-cagneycarnation.tumblr.com/post/166748016775/brain-you-should-do-asks-today-me-what-if-i-didFEB/2/18: I swear I aM STILL WORKING ON THIS IT'S JUST REALLY SLOW-GOING BECAUSE I AM A DUMBASS I'M S O R R Y





	1. Now Hiring

The early morning sun beat down on Inkwell, subjecting everyone in the archipelago to the intense summer heat. 

Most residents were doing whatever they could to stay out of the light, either ducking into their homes or resting under trees, but one particular individual seemed just fine as they hobbled along the road of Isle 2.

This individual in particular was hard to identify. If one didn’t notice their large leafy arms, they probably wouldn’t realize they were a plant at first. Their white head, tapering on one end to resemble a beak, bobbed from side to side as they walked, letting the three pale petals at the back wave in the air.

 

Had this plant been paying attention to where they were going, perhaps they wouldn’t have run into the barber pole, who had also been quite distracted. With a crash, the pair collided, sending them and their possessions skittering around.

In a humorous swap, the hat of the barber pole fell onto the plant’s face while the paper the plant had been reading fluttered to the ground in front of the pole. 

 

“My apologies!” The barber pole managed, standing back up. He picked up the paper, walking over to the plant and extending a hand. While he waited for them to collect their bearings, he couldn’t help but glance at the paper.

It was pale green, bearing only a few simple scrawls of an untidy script. The barber pole was still able to read it, however, before the plant reached up and grabbed his hand.

 

**_HIRING._ **

_ Looking for assistance in tending to a large garden for the rest of the summer. _

_ Experience is preferred, but not required. Don’t mind teaching. _

_ Payment to be discussed one-on-one. _

_ Ask for Cagney Carnation on Isle 1. _

 

“Woah, that grumpy weed is looking for help?” The pole couldn’t help but mumble.

 

“Grumpy? Is he really that bad?”

 

The barber pole snapped back to attention, seeing the plant was already standing. They held out his hat, looking expectantly at him.

“So-Sorry, it’s just--” He stumbled over his words as he took his hat back. Once it was secure on his head, he handed the paper back to them. “Cagney Carnation… He’s kind of notorious for being the grumpiest flower this side of Inkwell. Wouldn’t be surprised if you’re the first one to take interest in this offer of his.”

The plant, frowning, looked back down at the paper, as if trying to weigh their options. 

 

“Well, I was just looking for something to do.” They admitted, shrugging as they looked back to the barber pole. “Maybe he’s not too bad, yanno?”

“It’s not like I’m gonna stop you,” The barber pole admitted. “But hey, just be careful not to get on his bad side, alright?”

“Well… Okay. You wouldn’t happen to know where his garden is on Isle 1, would you?”

“Oh, sure!” The barber pole said with a bit of a smile. He pointed over to the red building, called a Die House, that served as the transition between the two islands. 

 

“Once you set foot on Isle 1, you wanna follow the path up some steps. Then, instead of staying on the path, you want to take a right and head off into the fields. His garden should be pretty easy to spot from there.”

“I see. Thank you!” The plant chuckled, setting off. They waved goodbye to the barber pole before making a beeline for the Die House.

“Hope they know what they’re doin’, heh…” The pole said with an unsteady chuckle. If the stories he had heard about Cagney were true, the plant would need to be very careful with him.

 

* * *

 

“Um, excuse me!”

Upon hearing the strange voice, the flower looked up from his work. Who was pestering him now?

“Whaddya want?” He grumbled, moving from the flower bush he had been tending to. He reached the fence that indicated where the field ended and his garden began, surprised to find the arrival on the other side wasn’t even tall enough to see over it.

“Yo-You’re Cagney Carnation, right?” The strange plant asked, looking a little surprised. A lot of people were when they saw him in his taller form for the first time. 

“Yeah. And you didn’t answer my question.” He narrowed his eyes and folded his arms. Hopefully the movement had brought the other plant’s attention to the pruning shears in his hand. He didn’t intend on using them, but he wasn’t above using them for intimidation.

 

“Sorry.” The said, lowering their head. After a moment, they brought out a sheet of pale green paper, making him tilt his head in surprise. “I came because of this!” They cried, holding it up to him.

Cagney, being almost six feet in comparison to the plant’s two-and-a-half foot stature, had to stoop down a bit to take the paper from them. Once he saw the writing on it, however, he knew he didn’t need to read it. It was his flyer, alright.

“Where’d you get this?” He asked, looking back down to the plant.

“I found it fluttering around on Isle 3. I figured--”

“‘Fluttering around,’ huh? Yeah, not too surprising. Probably somebody’s litter.” He mumbled, making the plant freeze. 

 

They were unsure if it would be right to admit it now, but they hadn’t actually found it like that. Somebody had actually shoved it into a trash bin.  _ Their _ trash bin. The one they had been using as a form of shelter for a while. But did the flower really  _ care _ about that sort of detail? Probably not.

 

“Anyway, you’re a little late on this. I passed these out early springtime.” Cagney continued, shaking his head. “It’s the middle of summer now. Most of the hard work is over with.”

“Oh… I…” The plant’s shoulders sagged, and they stared down at the ground. They had come all this way for nothing.

Cagney looked back and forth between the plant and the paper, not really sure what to do now. He hadn’t expected them to be so hopeful for the job, and he actually felt… Sort of bad, honestly. 

 

“I guess you can help me finish up for the day. I still gotta finish pruning, but this is my only pair of shears, so… You can start work on the flowerbed. Just get the soil ready, and I’ll bring the seeds over once I’m done.” He offered.

The plant looked up excitedly, glad to have been given a chance. With an eager nod, they clambered over the fence (ignoring Cagney pointing out the gate) and hurried to the patch of upturned soil he had gestured to while talking.

Cagney sighed, wondering how soon he would regret letting them help out. Deciding to push those negative thoughts away for once, he crumpled the flier up and went back over to the flower bush. Giving one last roll of his eyes before setting back to work, he dropped the paper into the bucket of clippings on the ground, making a note to dispose of it properly later.

 

* * *

 

“So how’s the ground lookin’?” Cagney asked, coming back from the small tool shed on the far side of the garden. The plan had been pretty quiet while working in the soil, but it seemed they at least knew how to prepare flowerbeds for seeds.

“Almost done! What’ll we be planting here?” They asked, waving their trowel a little bit too casually for Cagney’s liking. 

“Uh,” He glanced at the packets in his hands, squinting to read the words. “Dahlias. They do pretty well during late summer.”

“Oh! I’ve seen those before, they’re really pretty! Let’s get planting them, then!”

 

Cagney handed the plant one packet of seeds while he took the other, taking root on one side of the bed so he could work a bit better.

The two worked in silence for a bit, setting seeds down and covering them up with soil, but Cagney could tell the quiet wasn’t really sitting well with the plant. They seemed a bit distracted as they worked, sometimes flinging bits of dirt in random directions as they handled their trowel.

“So what sort of plant are you, anyway?” He asked, going for something he was genuinely curious about. He hadn’t seen anything like them before, so maybe they would shed some light on the subject.

“Uh…” The plant froze in their work, trying to come up with an answer. Perhaps they should just tell the truth…

“I don’t know.” They finally answered. “I’ve just called myself a ‘plant,’ really.”

 

Cagney furrowed his brow, not too satisfied with that answer. 

“How can you not know? Surely you musta had parents or something that could’ve told you and--”

**_“OW!”_ **

The plant was suddenly holding one of their hands, wincing. Cagney wasn’t too sure what had just happened, but looking at the small bit of green blood on the blade of the trowel, it wasn’t too hard to guess.

 

“How thin is that skin of yours to cut yourself on a _trowel?_ ” He asked, setting his down. “Let me see it.”

He held his hand out so he could look at theirs, which they reluctantly provided.

The plant looked away from Cagney as he examined the wound, feeling ashamed. When he had brought up the subject of ‘parents,’ they had experienced a moment of panic. In said panic, they fumbled with their tool and ended up hurting themself…

For a flower so grumpy, he was somehow able to get precariously close to all their sensitive spots. Was he even aware of that?

They looked back at him, pondering over this, but those thoughts were soon whisked away. As they watched him carefully go over the cut, grumbling under his breath, they couldn’t help but feel… Enthralled? Nobody had been this considerate around them before…

 

“It’s shallow, so it should be fine as long as you wash it out.” He finally said, letting their hand go. The moment over, the plant was able to snap back into reality. Perhaps they shouldn’t dwell on those sorts of thoughts. After all, they had only just met him!

“I recommend you stop working, too. Don’t wanna get more dirt in that open wound, and I don’t have anything to patch it up.” He finished, not even noticing their stupor. He picked up their dropped trowel and set it aside.

“Oh… I see.” They mumbled, downtrodden. Well, they certainly messed that up. They stood up in their spot, rocking back and forth on their feet for a moment before turning and heading towards the garden gate.

 

“Hey!” Cagney suddenly called, making them turn around and raise their head hopefully.

“What’s yer name?” He asked. In all the time they had been helping him, not once had they said anything about their name.

Oof. Yet another odd topic for him to stumble across.

“I… Don’t have one. Nobody really calls me anything.” They replied.

 

At this, Cagney donned an expression of frustrated disbelief. _Really? They didn’t have a name?_

“You gotta be _kidding_ me,” He growled, closing his eyes and rubbing at his forehead. “Okay. You know what? Your face reminds me of a beak. And yer tiny. How’s about I call you Chickpea?”

They frowned a little, not liking being called ‘Chick’ of all things. They were by no means a child! Not many things made them frustrated, but their stature was certainly one of them. Why did they have to be so tiny? It just made people assume things.

“Okay.” Came their response, however, and they tried to give a bit of a smile. “Chickpea’s fine.”

 

“Well then, Chickpea… If you get that cut cleaned up and you’re still interested in the job… I suppose you can help around a bit. Would you be interested in that? I mean, I can’t really pay ya since I used the funds I was--”

“That’s fine! I don’t care about the money, anyway!” They shot back, making Cagney pause. Now it was his turn to be put off for once.

“Um… Alright then, I guess.” He managed, glancing around. This plant certainly was an odd one, alright… But if he didn’t have to worry about money, he wasn’t going to complain. 

 

“See ya tomorrow, then, Chickpea.”


	2. Hilda Berg, Welcoming Committee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time for Chickpea to make some more friends!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heeeey, second chapter! This one's a doozy. Turned out a lot longer than I had intended because I was like "Hey what if I included a few other bosses in this mess?"

It would be a while before the sun set, so Chickpea decided to go for a walk. Having lived on Isle 3 for most of their life, they were happy to have an opportunity to take something in aside from the towering buildings of the city.

Pausing once they reached the main road, they weren’t sure which direction to head in. There wasn’t much back in the direction of the Die House, but they could see the path branch in three different directions a bit further inland. The paths going left and right led to respective sets of stairs, while the third path went under a cliff.

Before they would make up their mind about which way they wanted to go, they had the misfortune of once again bumping into somebody. 

 

The other person, however, didn’t seem to care that he had just run over an oblivious plant. He stopped and turned around, but only to call back to another who was lagging behind.

“C’mon, Mug!” He cried. “We have to find Elder Kettle. He’ll know what to do!” And without another word, he turned back, the liquid in his porcelain head sloshing precariously as he ran.

The figure he had been speaking to, a similarly-headed individual, stopped by Chickpea and took a second to catch his breath. While the first boy had been dressed in red with a small nose, this one was swathed in blue, his nose pretty prominent on his face.

 

“Sorry about that,” He managed, taking their hand and helping them up. “My brother is a little… Like that. Sometimes. Wish I could stay and chat, but it’s an emergency!”

Once Chickpea was upright, he waved goodbye, darting off in the direction his brother had gone. All the plant could do was blink in surprise, not quite sure what had just happened. 

 

“What an odd pair…” They mumbled, walking again. They weren’t really focusing on where they were going at first, but when they regained their attention, they could see two tall buildings, each made of the same pale material.

Curious as to why buildings such as these were out here when everything else was largely taken over by the woods, they picked up speed, wanting to know if anyone was around.

Chickpea paused when they finally reached the buildings, amazed by how tall they were. What purpose could they even serve way out here? 

Surprisingly enough, their answer came from above.

 

“Observatory’s closed until sundown.”

The new voice made Chickpea jump, glancing around frantically for the source. Was it a ghost? An invisible monster? Where did it come from?

“Up here, sprout.”

Prompted by the voice, they looked up, surprised to find somebody actually staring down at them. A woman sat a few feet above them on a cloud, looking down with a very amused expression.

“Hilda Berg,” The woman said with a flourish of her hand. “I run the observatory, but I prefer to keep it closed until the stars are out.” 

Her nasally voice certainly didn’t match her elegant appearance. Wearing a pink dress, matching shoes, gloves, and sparkling bracelets, she looked more like a ballerina than a… Whatever you call somebody who runs an observatory. Chickpea certainly didn’t know. They weren’t even sure they knew what an observatory was.

 

“Oh, I wasn’t really going to go inside!” Chickpea finally said upon finding their voice. Geez, it was hurting their neck to look up so much. Cagney was so tall, and now this woman was up on a cloud, of all things!

“Actually, I was just looking around. First time to Isle 1, and all.” They finished, rubbing the back of their head.

“Is that so? Are you going around to introduce yourself to everyone? Couldn’t help but notice you coming from Cagney’s garden and all. Did that ol’ weed show you his words were just as sharp as his thorns?” Hilda mused, lowering her cloud a little bit. She didn’t like staying on the ground for too long, but the plant did look a little pathetic straining to make eye contact with her.

“No, not--Not really.” They replied, not sure why she would suggest something like that. First the barber pole, now Hilda… Was Cagney really that hostile? Sure, he may have been a bit of a grump, but--

“Well, that’s certainly a first. I would say it’s because you’re also a plant, but he doesn’t even get along with the Root Pack. Not many can get through his grumpy exterior.” Hilda said with a smirk.

“Well, no, he was pretty grumpy…” They admitted, forcing a small chuckle. “But I guess not as much as he could have been.”

“That’s Cags for ya. Weird excuse for a flower, if there ever was one. Not happy, not peppy, doesn’t even like to be admired too much! Ah well.”

 

Suddenly, Hilda dropped down sharply, laying down on her cloud so she could come face-to-face with Chickpea.

“I don’t think I ever heard your name, though. So who do I owe the pleasure of this meeting to?” She asked.

Chickpea was hesitant. They would easily have given the name Cagney suggested, but they weren’t used to it just yet. It still felt pretty foreign, and would take some getting used to. At the same time, however, wouldn’t more people calling them that speed up the process?

“Chickpea,” They answered, extending a leafy hand to shake.

“That’s a pretty cute name!” Hilda chuckled, reaching out to shake as well, but freezing when they got a good look at Chickpea’s hand. She withdrew her hand, grimacing at bit at the thought of touching the wound, but Chickpea didn’t have to know she was particularly squeamish.

“You alright there? You got a little something on your… Hand…”

Chickpea was frozen in confusion for a second, then jumped a little when they realized what Hilda was talking about. Their cut! They hadn’t even washed it yet!

“Oh, right! I need-need to--Ah geez, it’s bled some more--Do-Do you know where I can find some clean wat-water?” They stammered. “And maybe something to cover it--”

 

Hilda didn’t respond right away, still trying to recover from her discomfort. Once she had recollected her thoughts, she nodded slowly, righting herself so she could slide off the cloud stand next to the plant.

“Yeah, come with me!” She answered, forcing a small smile. “And hey, while we’re at it, I can show you around the Isle. I know this place like the back of my hand and the residents like the front of it!”

She took Chickpea’s unblemished hand and began to walk, careful not to let her long legs outpace the smaller one.

“Oh, well if you know the residents, can I ask you something, then?” Chickpea stumbled a bit at first, but soon found an even speed in which they could keep up with Hilda. “Who are those two cups? Red and blue, brothers? They ran into me earlier, looking like they were in a bit of a rush. Trying to find somebody called ‘Elder Kettle.’”

Hilda’s eyes widened a bit, but didn’t seem too surprised. Everyone around Isle 1 knew those boys.

“That’d be Cuphead and Mugman. Elder Kettle is their gramps or guardian or something. They get in quite a bit of trouble now and then, so they’re probably just running to get Kettle to drag ‘em out of it. Frankly, Cuphead’s more the one you should worry about. He just drags Mugman into his nonsense.” She finished with a loud laugh, starting to feel a bit better.

Chickpea only nodded, thinking a bit. Their encounter certainly matched up with Hilda’s description. The one who had bashed into them had called the blue one ‘Mugs,’ and the blue one had lingered a bit to apologize.

“For your sanity, let’s hope you don’t have to run into them again. More trouble than they’re worth.” Hilda continued. “Maybe they’ll shape up as they get older, but right now…”

 

“They can’t be as bad as me,” Chickpea insisted. “And I’m an adult, so that says a lot.”

“Oh, really? What do you do, then?”

“Uh--”

_ Don’t say live in people’s trash cans don’t say live in people’s trash cans don’T SAY IT DON’T SAY IT DON’T-- _

“Kick over… People’s trash cans?” 

_ Well. That was better. Probably. _

 

All Hilda did in response was give an odd noise and shrug.

“Well, there’s not many houses around here, so not many trash cans. I think you’ll be a model civilian compared to them.” She said. “Anyway, this river should be good for washing that cut. You go ahead, I’ll see if I can come up with something to dress it.”

Sure enough, they had come to stop by a swift-moving stream. Chickpea nodded thanks before hurrying to the edge, carefully dipping their bleeding wound into the current. 

As Chickpea got to work, Hilda stood by and began to think. Who would be best to ask for a simple bandage? The Root Pack were always friendly, never hesitating to help anyone out… But Ribby and Croaks did tend to get scraped up more often…

“Done!” The plant called, standing back up. Just in time, too. Hilda had decided who was the best bet to get some supplies from. It would be a bit longer of a trek, but they had plenty of time.

“Nice,” Hilda said. “In that case, we’re going to meet some frogs!”

“Frogs?”

Without explaining further, Hilda once again took Chickpea’s hand, this time a bit too eager to remember they were much shorter than her. All the plant could do as they tried to keep up was wonder who in the world Hilda was talking about.

 

* * *

 

 

_ Woah, that’s a lot of bugs… _

 

Chickpea couldn’t help but marvel at the many patrons of the ferry’s lounge. Most, if not all, were some form of arthropod, and they flitted about the place much like one would expect them to. Chickpea was so enthralled watching them all, they almost didn’t realize Hilda had stopped in her tracks. They stopped just in time, not really wanting to collide with somebody for the third time that day.

Hilda had certainly proved that she was familiar with the isle. When they had reached the ferry boat containing this club, they had been stopped by a bouncer.

“I’m here to see Ribby and Croaks,” She said, not too ruffled as the beetle gave her a suspicious look. “Tell them it’s Hilda.”

Sure enough, after a brief wait, the beetle had returned, begrudgingly letting the woman and plant inside. 

 

Now, they stood outside another door. This one had nobody waiting outside, but it did bear a plaque that read ‘Green room.’ 

Chickpea was a bit more familiar with that concept, surprisingly. A green room was where performers would wait until it was time for them to go on stage. Did that mean these frogs were some sort of actors?

“Let me do the talking at first,” Hilda said to Chickpea. “The boys probably have what we need, but they’re a bit… Friendly. If we let them start talking, it’ll be an hour before we can make our request.”

And with that, she knocked firmly on the door. 

“Boys? It’s me! I’ve brought a friend, too!”

Not too long after she called out, the door swung open, revealing… Well, as Hilda had said earlier, a frog. 

A nice green in color, wearing a white gi with a red belt, the frog took a moment to look at the pair before bursting out in warm laughter.

 

“Ah, Hildy! Ya shoulda told us earlier if you were gonna come! We would’ve scheduled a match, or somethin’ so you wouldn’t be bored!” He croaked.

“Ah, that won’t be necessary, Ribby,” Hilda said, waving her hand. “Just stopped by to ask for a favor.”

The green room itself was pretty plain, having a mirror, couches, and a couple of small tables full of miscellaneous things. Another frog, much taller and in a shade of brown, straightened up in his seat when he saw the new arrivals.

“Hey, Hildy! Who’s the kid?” He asked.

“Hildy, ya brought a kid in here? Now, hold on, you know the rules, even if you’re--” Ribby began, looking stern, but Hilda was swift to interrupt him.

“They are not a child, boys.” She managed through grit teeth. “Just a little on the short side.”

Chickpea would have sighed, but they felt that would be a bit too conspicuous. Had Hilda not stepped in, they probably would have barked something at the brothers themselves. 

 

“Anyway, as I said, we’re just here for a quick favor and then we’ll be out of your…” Hilda was about to say hair, but looking at the smooth skin on top of each of the brothers’ heads, she figured it was probably not a good idea to complete the idiom.

“Well, in that case, sure! Whaddya need?” Croaks, who Chickpea deduced was the taller of the frogs, asked.

“Just need to borrow a bandage. Chickpea here cut themself a while ago and hasn’t covered it up yet. I was figuring, since you two get into scrapes a lot--”

“Of course, won’t be a problem.” Ribby said, nodding. “Croaks, where’d ya put the first-aid?”

As soon as the taller frog had found the box of supplies, he hurried over to Chickpea, opening it up. Ribby decided to take Hilda aside so they could catch up, letting his brother get to work.

 

“Alright, hold out your hand,” He said, fishing out a bandage from the box. Chickpea complied silently, not really sure what else they could do.

“Not really much of a talker, huh?” Croaks, asked, making them blink. He positioned the bandage over the cut so the gauze would over up the wound, then pressed down, smoothing the adhesive strips so they stuck fast. The plant was able to see that the wound had, at the very least, stopped bleeding so much.

When Chickpea shook their head, he shrugged, not really put off by it. 

“That should do. Didn’t look too deep, and it seems it’ll stop bleeding soon, so you shouldn’t have to wear it for too long.”

“Thanks,” Chickpea said with a small nod, taking their hand back. The bandage felt weird, but if it meant they wouldn’t get blood everywhere, they were fine with it.

“Hey, so you do talk!” He teased, closing up the kit. “Must be new around here if you’re hanging out with Hilda, though. She’s sort of become the unofficial welcoming committee these days.”

The pair took a moment to glance over at Ribby and Hilda, who were apparently enjoying a particularly amusing anecdote. 

 

“Yeah, she knows just about everyone around here, so you’re lucky to have run into her. But I guess it’s to be expected when she can see the whole island from up in the clouds.”

Oh, yeah. She had been on a cloud when Chickpea first met her. She could probably fly over the whole archipelago pretty quickly if she felt like it.

“You ‘bout done there, bro?” Ribby said, interrupting Chickpea’s train of thought. “I was just about to invite Hilda to stay for our next little brawl! Maybe she could even jump in. I hear she’s quite the terror when she--”

“Actually, I should probably finish showing Chickpea here around, boys. As much as I’d like to stay.” Hilda said, but Chickpea could tell her smile was a little strained. Could it be she didn’t like the idea of fighting?

“Aw, shucks.” Croaks said as he stood up, once again reminding the plant how short they were. “Well, we don’t wanna keep you, then.” He seemed genuinely disappointed, but he wasn’t without his manners.

“Sorry,” Hilda said, though not sounding too apologetic. “Maybe next time.”

 

As the brothers bid their farewells, Hilda ducked out of the room, Chickpea close behind. Once the door had shut, Hilda let out a long sigh, rubbing her forehead.

“The boys are nice, and all, but I hate to fight.” She mumbled, confirming Chickpea’s suspicion. “Eventually I won’t be able to keep declining their requests to spar.”

“But let’s not worry about that right now,” She continued, beginning to head for the exit. “I figure I should give you a quick tour of the rest of the island before the sun sets, huh?”

But as they stepped out into the warm air, they could see that the sun was almost sinking over the horizon. If Hilda was going to give a tour, she didn’t have much time.

“Wow, were we really in there for that long?” She asked, putting a hand to her chin. Usually her sense of time was pretty good, but then again, she had gotten distracted by Ribby…

“I am getting pretty tired,” Chickpea admitted, yawning. 

“You got a place to stay?” Hilda asked, raising an eyebrow. She didn’t recall the plant saying anything of the sort, and if they were from another island, there was a chance they wouldn’t be able to get back home before it got dark. The Die Houses usually closed in the evening.

When Chickpea shook their head, she furrowed her brow, thinking a bit more. After a moment, she snapped her fingers.

“Well, I think I have an idea that will kill two birds with one stone. C’mon, we’re heading to the Root Pack’s farm!”

Without explaining any further, she grabbed Chickpea’s hand and and began to run, determined to get there before the sun set. The boys did have an early-to-bed schedule, after all.

 

* * *

 

“Moe! Moe, thank goodness!”

 

The potato had just come back from putting up supplies when he heard the all-too-familiar voice of Hilda. With an annoyed sigh, Moe made his way over to the gate, wondering what the fuss was about now.

“Whaddya want, Berg?” He asked,with a frustrated tone.

“Oh, don’t be like that.” She huffed, but still wore a smile. “I won’t bother you for too long. I just want to ask if you’d be willing to let somebody stay the night.”

“Stay the ni--Hilda, we don’t--”

“Please?” She asked, gesturing to the plant beside her, who seemed absolutely confused at the exchange so far. 

Moe took a moment to think on things. He still wasn’t quite ready to forgive Hilda, but was he really petty enough to extend that coldness to somebody else? 

 

Besides, the plant did look a little worse for wear. Regular people probably couldn’t tell, but with his experience on the farm, he could see the plant wasn’t in peak condition. The green in their leaves was subdued, and their petals were slightly limp.

 

“Fine, I guess. Gimme a minute to get a space for ‘em.” He grumbled, turning around and shuffling away. He would help the plant, but only because they needed it anyway, not because Hilda had asked him.

“Alright,” Hilda said, nodding. She then turned to Chickpea, arms folded.

“Moe, Weepy, and Psycarrot live here. They’re very hospitable and should help you out, so don’t worry about anything. I can come get you in the morning if you--”

“Moe didn’t seem to get along with you.” Chickpea said, looking up at her.

“Er… Well…” Hilda began, flinching back a little. The plant had been such fine company up until now. Why were they getting so nosy all of a sudden?

“Just because I _know_ everyone doesn’t mean I _get along_ with everyone,” She admitted, still forcing a bit of a smile. “I may have accidentally sent a storm cloud or two over here, over-watering their crops… Moe didn’t take too kindly to that.”

She would have preferred they ran into Weepy, who was much nicer, or maybe Psycarrot, even if he used a lot of snark. But, as usual, Moe was the last one to get ready to sleep.

“He really likes to help people, though, so don’t worry. He should perk up once I leave.”

Speaking of which, she should probably do that. Before he came back. 

“Well, I’ll leave you to it, I suppose.” She said, starting to walk away. “Like I said, I’ll be back in the morning!”

Chickpea couldn’t do much more than wave goodbye as Hilda walked off. They would have liked to give some sort of advice concerning the situation with Moe, but they figured it probably wasn’t any of their business to do so.

 

“‘Ey,” Came Moe’s voice, prompting Chickpea to turn back to the farm. “C’mon, I cleared ya a spot under a tree.”

As they followed the large potato, they couldn’t help but reflect back on the day. They had met so many new people, and they were going to start working with Cagney tomorrow! 

The prospect made them excited, but also a bit nervous. Both Hilda and the barber pole had said Cagney was known for his grumpy personality. They didn’t think he was too grumpy when they had spoken with him, so was there a chance he could get worse?

They didn’t want to think about that. It made them afraid to even consider going back to the garden.

“Well,” They told themself, “Maybe a bit of sleep will help.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To clarify so things in this fic don't get confusing: I'm altering the timeframe in which the brothers have to collect contracts just a liiiiittle bit. They have about three days instead of the whole 'midnight the next day' thing.
> 
> Hope that helps clear things up as we move on!
> 
> \---------------------------------
> 
> also fun fact the reason Chickpea is so small and ppl mistake them for a kid is that even tho I am 19 I am Short As Hell and still look like a godamn high school freshman  
> My personality doesn't really help dissuade that either


	3. Exhaustion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me rest too it's 1:30 AM as I post this   
> the things I do for fic

Sleep probably _would_ have helped... if it had lasted longer than an hour. 

 

Chickpea, rather than burrowing into the soil like a normal plant, had chosen to climb up into the tree Moe had brought them to. (“You’re a weird one,” had been Moe’s comment.) They felt like they had just closed their eyes when something slammed into the trunk, causing the tree to shake wildly and snap the small plant awake.

 

Struggling against their bleary thoughts, they peeked precariously over the side, finding the large yet crumpled form of the potato below.

“Dammit…” He growled, struggling to get up. He was unable to, however, and fell back down to the ground. When he looked up, his eyes widened a bit upon catching sight of Chickpea.

“You should probably clear outta here, sprout.” He groaned. “‘Fore ya get caught in the crossfire.”

Crossfire? What was he going on about--

 

But when Chickpea looked off into the field, they suddenly understood. They could see a flurry of movement in the distance. The dirt that was being kicked up made it hard to see at first, but in the moments that it was clear, they could see the two small forms of the porcelain-headed brothers: Cuphead and Mugman. 

The two were currently tussling with a large onion, who Chickpea assumed to be the ‘Weepy’ Hilda had mentioned earlier, given he was using a flood of tears to fend the brothers off. And were Cuphead and Mugman… Shooting at him?

Oh no. Moe was right, they should probably get out of here if they didn’t want to get hit.

They scrambled down the trunk of the tree, careful not to land on Moe, and made a beeline for the closest part of the fence. Giving a wary glance back to the fight, they clambered over.

 

“Wait,” Came a new voice. Chickpea stumbled before they turned around and looked back into the farm, spying an orange shape just barely poking out of the ground. This must be Psycarrot, they thought, since no other vegetables were really known for that color.

“I dunno if we can fend ‘em off for very long,” He said, gesturing back to the fight. “I’m gonna hop when Weepy can’t take any more, but… Do you think you could get help? Hilda should know what to do.”

Chickpea nodded, certain they could make their way back to the observatory. They weren’t sure how much time it would take, but they would do their best.

Without another word, they darted off into the darkness, leaving the veggies to handle the brothers.

 

* * *

 

“HILDA! HILDA, WHERE ARE YOU?”

 

Chickpea looked anxiously around, not sure where their friend was. The windows of the observatory buildings were dark, meaning nobody was inside, so where could she possibly be?

“Chickpea? Th’ heck’s goin’ on?” Came a mumble from up above. Once again, Hida floated down on a cloud, looking as if she had just been woken up. Rubbing the sleepiness from her eyes, she looked curiously at the plant. “You didn’t get in trouble with the Root Pack, didya?”

“The Root Pack’s in trouble, but--” Chickpea started, shaking their head. “I didn’t do anything! I woke up, and suddenly Moe was on the ground--Weepy was fighting them too--And Psycarrot was gonna jump in, but he told me to get you--We need to hurry back and--”

“Woah, woah, woah, slow down there, sprout.” Hilda urged, seeming a bit more awake now that the situation was urgent. “You said Weepy was fighting ‘them.’ Who’s ‘them?’”

“Cuphead and Mugman,” They answered quietly. “They were shooting things from their fingers and… Well, I don’t know why, but--”

“That’s… A first.” Hilda admitted, sitting up straight. “The kids are troublemakers, but they don’t go attacking people for no reason, so why…”

 

Hilda proceeded to get lost in her thoughts, folding her arms and looking away from Chickpea. The plant couldn’t really do much more than sit and wait, given they weren’t as familiar with the brothers as she was.

Finally, Hilda sighed, hopping down off her cloud and putting her hands on her hips.

“I’ll go see if I can figure out what’s up. Maybe set them straight, too. Will you be alright here on your own?”

Chickpea… Actually wasn’t sure. They were still tired, and there didn’t seem to be any forms of shelter, aside from the observatory…

“How’s about you go find Cagney,” Hilda suggested in a quiet tone, her expression softening. “He… Well, he doesn’t get the best sleep. He’s probably still awake and can keep you company. That sound okay?”

At this, Chickpea nodded. It would be nice to meet up with Cagney again, even if he was a little rough around the edges. 

“Then I’ll go find you two later,” Hilda said, nodding. “See you later!”

And with a flourish, she jumped back on her cloud, rising over the trees and heading off towards the Root Packs’ farm.

With nothing else left to do, Chickpea began to drag their tired feet off in the direction of Cagney’s garden.

 

* * *

 

“What… The hell happened here?” Hilda gasped as she set down in the fields of the farm. Dirt was everywhere it shouldn’t have been. Whatever crops were planted were now uprooted and strewn about the ground. 

“Boys?” Hilda asked, looking warily towards the limp forms of the three vegetables. A moment passed, and she feared they were seriously injured, but then they slowly stirred, allowing her to breathe a sigh of relief.

“Berg… Thank goodness.” Moe said, making Hilda blink. She would have never expected those words to come out of his mouth, given the grudge he held against her. Then again, now wasn’t really the time to let petty squabbled get in the way of things.

“Chickpea came and got me,” She began, moving closer to the brothers. “They said… The Cuphead brothers did this. Is that true?”

Weepy, who had been silent up until this point, nodded, sniffling loudly. 

“Th-They were after our contract!” He managed. “We tried to fend ‘em off, but--”

“They kicked our roots,” Psycarrot interrupted, sounding very bitter about the whole things. “Made us give it up anyway.”

“Your  _ contract? _ You don’t mean…  _ That _ contract, right?” Hilda felt her blood run cold. Surely the brothers weren’t going after the contracts many residents of the isle had.

“No,” Psycarrot grumbled, rolling all three of his eyes. “I mean the contract for the business me and Moe were gonna start up--OF  _ COURSE _ I MEAN THAT DAMN CONTRACT, HILDA.”

 

Hilda didn’t have a response to that. She found herself subconsciously patting the front of her shirt, feeling for something in a concealed pocket. A small bit of relief washed over her as she felt it.

“What could they possibly want with your contract?” She asked when she regained her voice. 

“My guess,” Moe said, managing to sit up as much as a potato could. “Is that they’re working for the Devil now. Collectin’ debts.”

“Then they’ll be going after the other debtors on the island,” Psycarrot said. “Maybe even ones on the other isles, too.”

“Other debtors… Oh dear. That’d be Ribby and Croaks…” Weepy said, covering his mouth. 

“And Cagney,” Hilda finished, suddenly realizing the severity of the situation. Depending on who the brothers went after next, there was a chance she had just sent Chickpea into a dangerous situation.

“What do we do? If the kids get our contracts to the Devil, we’re roast veggies.” Psycarrot asked. “We can’t just sit around and do nothing!”

“We’re not going to,” Moe insisted. “Hilda, any ideas?”

 

“Uhm…” She bit her lip, not quite sure what to do. She wasn’t surprised they were looking to her for guidance. Lots of people did, in more ways than just directions around the island. She was pretty well-known for her level-headedness, and people would often ask her for advice.

“Can you three move? I need you to go check on Ribby and Croaks.” She finally said, straightening her posture. “If the boys haven’t arrived yet, then try and get the frogs to relocate. I’m going to go find Cagney, see about doing the same.”

“Good luck gettin’ that thorny bastard to move,” Psycarrot hissed. “He’s as stubborn as he is grumpy.”

“That’ll be my problem,” She shot back, making the carrot flinch a little. “Now, are you going to sit around here and twiddle your fingers, or are you going to do what I told you and help Ribby and Croaks?” For emphasis, she stomped her foot, glaring at the three.

The vegetables exchanged nervous looks, but then got the message. Without another word, the three hurried to the farm gate, eventually vanishing over a hill.

 

Once they were gone, Hilda heaved another big sigh, letting herself relax. Her body began to tremble a bit, but she was not going to let nerves get to her. Not now.

Was it really true that the brothers were working for the Devil now? If so, a good portion of people on Inkwell were in danger. If their contracts were collected, they would either be forced to serve the Devil, or…

She didn’t want to think about that.

Steeling her nerves and taking a deep breath, she summoned another cloud, ready to hurry over to Cagney and Chickpea.

* * *

 

Chickpea paced nervously, not sure what to do. They had reached the familiar fenceline of Cagney’s garden, but the flower was nowhere to be found. Where could he be?

Perhaps he slept somewhere else? Yeah, that’s probably it. They hoped. 

They looked around for a moment, wondering which direction Cagney would possibly go to get some shut-eye. He didn’t seem to like the company of other people so much, so… Someplace secluded seemed likely.

Sure enough, they could see a small clump of trees in the distance from where they stood. Given there was no other option, they decided their best bet was to check it out.

 

Chickpea would have loved to run to the small forest, but sleep was still calling them. Having an hour at the most, their eyes were drooping, and it took all of their strength to just stay upright. Perhaps they could find a tree to rest in if they didn’t find Cagney.

Lucky enough for them, they did find him. However, it was not in a very casual way. As they entered the shade of the trees, exhaustion keeping them from noticing their surroundings, they tripped.

Now, tripping would have been fine, except for the fact that the thing they happened to trip on had in fact been part of Cagney’s stem.

 

With a sharp hiss, the flower, who had been looking the other way, whipped around and glared at Chickpea. Not realizing who it was, he summoned a long vine from the ground, sending it wrapping around one of their feet and hoisting them, upside-down, into the air.

“ _ WHO THE HELL-- _ ” He began, but faltered when he saw the familiar pointed face of the sprout. “Chickpea? What the absolute  _ fuck _ are you doing here? Can’t you see I’m trying to sleep?”

“Uh…” Was all Chickpea could manage. Exhaustion plus the dizziness of being upside down didn’t really make them able to give coherent answers. “Tired?”

Cagney gave them a contorted look, not sure what to make of their response. After a moment, he decided it would be best to put them down. The vine lowered a couple of feet before unceremoniously dropping them the rest of the way.

“Don’t you got someplace to stay yourself?” He finally asked.

“I… I live on Isle 3, but I wouldn’t be able to get home in time… The Root Pack let me stay on their farm, but… Something happened.”

Surprisingly, Cagney didn’t ask about the events on the farm. Either such occurrences were common, or he didn’t care to begin with.

“So you figured I was the next best thing.” He said flatly.

 

“Hilda suggested it.” They admitted, blinking slowly.

“Of course she did! Blimp-face just has to help  _ everyone _ out, doesn’t she!” He growled, pulling at a couple of his petals a bit.

When he saw Chickpea wobble a bit where they were standing, however, he stopped, adopting a concerned expression. This actually surprised Chickpea a bit, given his usually gruff exterior.

“But if you’re tired, I shouldn’t keep you up any longer,” He mumbled. “No sense in both of us staying up the whole night.”

That made Chickpea tilt their head. Hilda had also mentioned something along the lines of Cagney not getting very good sleep. Was he prone to insomnia or something?

 

“So tell ya what,” Cagney said, lowering the main portion of his body closer to the ground. As Chickpea watched, he coiled his long, thin stem, much like a snake would. The thorns running down his body sunk back into his skin, making it appear smooth.

Cagney then cupped a hand around Chickpea, guiding them into the makeshift nest he had made.

“The best I can do right now, but it’s better than the ground or a tree or something.” He said once they were settled. “I’m going to be up for a little while longer, so feel free to get some rest.”

“How come you’re going to stay up?” They couldn’t help but ask. “Aren’t you tired?”

“Y-Yeah…” He answered. “Pretty tired. But there’s not a whole lot I can do about it. Don’t worry ‘bout me.”

Puzzled by his vague response, but also strangely touched by his moment of tenderness, Chickpea decided it was best to heed his words and get some rest. With any luck, they wouldn’t have any more disturbances.

 

With Cagney laying down beside his coils and the quiet of the forest’s edge, Chickpea was able to close their eyes once more, ready for sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sO UH NEXT MORNING I REALIZED I FORGOT GOOPY EXISTED. DON'T WORRY I'LL FIX IT NEXT CHAPTER. I'M CRYING TOO DON'T WORRY.


	4. Finding Goopy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OOF sorry this one took a little bit longer than usual. Hit a bit of a rut and felt the pacing was wonky but a friend said it was alright, so???? Yeah.
> 
> Remember what I said about promising to fix the fact I forgot Goopy existed? That happens in this chapter.
> 
> Also Psycarrot was really fun to write.

“So wait, you’re sayin’ they’re going after--”

 

“Debtors, yes. They’ve already defeated the Root Pack and Ribby and Croaks. I think they went on to Isle 2, but they’ll probably come back. We need a plan.”

 

“Can’t we just gang up on ‘em?”

“No, Psy, that’s--Contracts or not, they’re still kids.”

“‘Sides, they could handle me n’ Croaks just fine. Who’s to say they couldn’t take us all on at once?”

“ME! THERE’S SEVEN OF US! WE CAN TOTALLY TEACH THOSE BRATS--”

“SHH! Psy, you’ll wake them!”

But the damage was already done. Chickpea slowly blinked their eyes open, surprised to see the group arranged in front of them.

Everyone they had met previously sat in a loose circle, exchanging nervous looks as they saw the plant wake up. Moe had clapped a hand over Psycarrot’s mouth, but his brother didn’t seem to care, and was still furiously yelling in spite of it.

“Why’s everyone here?” Chickpea asked. They glanced around, realizing they weren’t in the forest anymore. They were back in Cagney’s garden, the sun just starting to peek over the hills. Cagney was no longer coiled around them, but he still sat close by.

 

“Should we tell ‘em?” Weepy asked, looking expectantly towards Hilda. Everyone followed suit, giving Chickpea the impression that she was the one in charge.

“I mean…” Hilda started, looking a little uncomfortable at having been put on the spot. “It would depend. Chickpea, how much do you know about… The Devil?”

Chickpea froze when Hilda mentioned his name. Given the location of the casino, very few people didn’t know of the Devil. They were certainly familiar with him, but… Once again, it involved a certain detail of their life they weren’t ready to talk about just yet.

“About as much as everyone else knows. Owns the casino, makes deals in exchange for souls, all that…” They managed with a weary chuckle. They could have sworn they saw Cagney shift a little in the corner of their vision, but they chose not to respond.

“In that case… I suppose it’s alright if you know.” Hilda replied, but she didn’t make eye contact with Chickpea. Instead she was staring at Cagney, furrowing her brow a bit. That certainly made Chickpea suspicious. Were the two communicating somehow?

“We’re all debtors. After making our deals with the Devil, we stole our contracts and never paid the intended price.” Hilda continued, oblivious to Chickpea’s concern. “It seems Cuphead and Mugman are going around the islands, collecting the contracts. Let’s just say trouble of grand proportions will befall us if the boys--”

 

“Oh my GOODNESS!” Croaks suddenly shouted, jumping up to his feet. “Hilda. There’s one more debtor on this island.”

“What? Who?”

“Goopy le Grande. He’s an old sparring buddy of me and Ribby, from our tadpole days. He sold his soul when he was pretty young, but… We need to find him.”

“I can’t believe we forgot him,” Ribby mumbled, standing up as well.

“Then… You’re right, we need to find him. We also need to alert the Isle 2 debtors, though. Before those boys hurt anyone else. Ribby, I know Goopy’s your friend, but you and Croaks are better-suited for traveling across the isles. Do you think you could go? I can send the Root Pack to find Goopy.” Hilda sighed, rubbing her arm. Being in charge was difficult… She wasn’t used to making serious decisions like this.

“Of course,” Ribby said with a nod. He gestured to his brother, and the two began to walk towards the path.

When they were gone, Hilda turned to the Root Pack.

“You three need to find Goopy. Try the northwest part of the island. I hardly go there, so there’s a chance he’s been under my radar this whole time.”

Psycarrot looked about to protest, but Moe jabbed him in the side, making him hold his tongue. With Weepy leading the way, the trio hurried off in the opposite direction of the frog brothers.

 

“Now,” Hilda sighed, folding her arms and facing the plants. “Chickpea… Why did you lie to me?” Her expression was a mixture of exhaustion and disappointment.

Oh. Oh, that did _not_ sit well with Chickpea.

“What? I-I didn’t lie!” They yelped, standing up. “I barely know anything about the Devil!”

“Your voice gets a bit higher when you’re on the spot,” Cagney commented, speaking for the first time in a while. “Happened back when we met, but I didn’t think much of it. I guess Hilda noticed me noticing a minute ago.”

So his slight movement _had_ been something to worry about…

“What don’t you want us to know? You want to help us out, right? You can’t do that if you’re holding anything important back.” Hilda pressed. “If you want, it can be just me and Cagney who know.”

 

Chickpea sighed, not really able to argue against Hilda’s logic. Besides, the two of them hadn’t done anything to make Chickpea question their trustworthiness… Maybe it would be okay.

“I’m a debtor, too.” They mumbled, looking down at the ground. “I sold my soul, and I’ve been running around the isles ever since. Don’t have a home, don’t have a family… Basically before I came here, I was living in trash cans in Isle 3. Saw Cagney’s flier, figured it was better than nothing, and… Well, here we are.”

The other two remained quiet as Chickpea finished their monologue. Hilda avoided Chickpea’s eyes while Cagney clenched his fists.

 

Well, there it was. It was out. They had come to this isle to find a distraction and get away from it all, but it still reared its ugly head.

“I’m sorry I lied,” They blurted out. “I didn’t think it was important. I didn’t want my problems to get lumped in with yours. You barely know me, and--”

Wait, were they crying now? They felt something warm run down their face. Their breath was getting a little shaky. Oh, geez, why were they crying? Why right in front of _these_ two?

“That’s… Actually quite understandable.” Hilda admitted, relaxing and looking apologetic. “I’m sorry for putting you on the spot like that, Chickpea.”

“I should-should probably jus-just make myself scarce un-unti-till this is all over with, right--right? I’m just gonna get in-in-in the way, and--” They were stumbling over their words now, covering their face with their leaves.

“What? No, not at all, you’re--” Hilda began, her eyes growing wide.

“Hilda, how’s about you go for a bit of a walk.” Cagney cut in, his tone hard to read. “You’ll need a clear head if you’re going to help us all take care of the situation.”

Hilda opened her mouth to protest, but Cagney shot her a serious look. One that said, ‘I’ll handle this.’ Unable to come up with a reasonable argument, she nodded.

 

Once Hilda had gone out of earshot, Cagney moved so he was closer to the crying plant.

“Pea, could ya look at me for a second?” He asked, his tone surprisingly soft. He hovered close enough that the plant that they could feel supported, but refrained from touching them. He didn’t know how they would react to that.

With a bit of effort, Chickpea wiped away the worst of their tears and lowered their leaves, looking warily at the flower.

“You can trust Hilda and the others,” He began. “Take it from the guy who doesn’t want anything to do with ‘em most of the time. You don’t have to say anything more about your deal, but… Let ‘em help out.”

“Why are you helping them, if you don’t want anything to do with them?” They couldn’t help but ask.

Cagney sighed, not really expecting such a question.

“I mean…” He began after a moment. “I guess I see things sorta the way you do. Don’t want to bother people with my problems… But… Eventually I realized I couldn’t solve ‘em on my own. So I forced myself to reach out.

“Trust me, it’s better you realize that too. Sooner rather than later.”

A few moments of silence (well, near-silence. Chickpea was still crying.) passed, leaving the plant to meditate on what Cagney had said.

“I-I’m sor-sorry…” Chickpea managed between sobs, covering their face again. “I-I-”

 

“You don’t need to--” Cagney began, but stopped. Something was happening to Chickpea.

The petals on the pack of their head were starting to turn blue and droop slightly. Fangs were beginning to protrude from their mouth. The hands covering their face were starting to grow claws at the ends.

“Chickpea… ?”

“I nee-need to calm-calm down.” They managed, not exactly surprised by what was happening. Was this normal for them?

“C’mere,” Cagney said, almost instinctively. He felt a little awkward, comforting them, but, well, he was the only one around at the moment.

Chickpea moved toward him a bit and and he closed the distance, gently snaking his arms around them in a loose embrace. He carefully rested his head on top of theirs and began to gently rock them.

 

As Chickpea tried to focus on steadying their breath, Cagney began to think.

Why was he being so kind to them? He had only met them yesterday, and even then he couldn’t help not being as much of a jerk as he usually was. He barely even knew anything about them, aside from them being a debtor.

While Cagney thought, he couldn’t help but begin to hum. It was a simple tune, one he sang to himself when he was working to help pass the time.

Under the sound of Cagney’s humming, Chickpea’s sniffles began to slow. Their petals were returning to their normal white, and Cagney assumed everything else was reverting as well. But for some reason he was… Reluctant to let go.

“We should probably go get Hilda now.” Chickpea said after a few silent moments. This made Cagney hurry to let them go, not wanting things to be awkward.

“Yeah, let’s go.”

 

* * *

 

“Why’d WE get stuck with the grunt work? It’s Ribby n’ Croaks who know this sap!” Psycarrot growled as he shuffled through the foliage. He held a low-hanging limb out of the way and stood aside to let his brothers pass, a scowl on his face the entire time.

“Like Hilda said, we ain’t exactly good for traveling between islands.” Moe reminded him, not really willing to put up with his cranky sibling. “It’s not that big of a deal, Psy, so would ya shut up for ten seconds?”

“I’ll shut up when we can get back to the farm and don’t have to worry about this crap anymore! Those brats don’t know how much trouble they got into, starting to take people’s contracts!”

“Then we need to let them know,” Weepy cut in. He was generally an onion of few words, but the words he did say generally held some weight to them.

“Yeah… But it’s gonna take a while.” Moe agreed, pausing. “Baby steps, Weeps. Let’s just find this Goopy fellow.”

He was about to continue walking when he noticed Psycarrot had hung back.

“What’s your problem now?” He asked, turning around.

 

“I say we split up.” Psycarrot suggested-slash-insisted. “Cover more ground that way.” He folded his arms, refusing to take another step.

Moe sighed, not really sure how to respond to Psycarrot’s demand. The carrot, though the oldest, was usually very difficult. He didn’t take orders very well, and often skipped work on the farm.

“Sounds like a plan. We haven’t come across anything yet, so maybe spreading out would be better.” Moe answered with a defeated sigh.

“I… Don’t think that’ll be necessary, guys.” Weepy called from up ahead, making the other two turn back.

The onion had moved further into the woods, stopping at the edge of a small clearing. He gestured for his brothers to come join him, looking stunned.

When the other two veggies arrived, Weepy pointed into the clearing, indicating a large shape that stood in the middle.

 

The structure was undoubtedly a tombstone. Even though it was split in half, the Root Pack could make out the letters ‘RIP’ etched into the bottom. The center of the tombstone depicted a blue face, frowning with large X-ed out eyes.

“Well, we’re too late. He’s dead. Let’s go back.” Psycarrot said, starting to turn around. Before he could get anywhere, however, Moe grabbed his arm.

 

“Let’s scope out the scene first, Psy.” The potato barked, stepping into the clearing. Psycarrot pulled from his grasp, but begrudgingly followed, and Weepy brought up the rear.

“How’s this even possible?” Moe asked after circling the tombstone a bit. “There’s no disturbance to the soil. Nothing’s buried here. So why is there a tombstone?”

“I doubt the half-pints would even bother making this,” Psycarrot added. “But then… Who would?”

“No clue. They’re probably the ones who broke it, though.” Moe replied.

“Is it possible he was dead before they came around?” Weepy asked cautiously. “Maybe grave-robbed the poor guy?”

“But I already said there’s no plot,” Moe reminded him. “And if Goopy was dead, that would make his contract void or something, right? He’d just be whisked away to Hell in an instant.”

 

“Guys, there’s no mystery here!” Psycarrot insisted, moving next to the tombstone. “The guy’s gone! Let’s get back to the others, tell the frogs their friend’s croaked, and get back to figuring out how we can stop those damn kids!”

When he finished speaking, he leaned on the tombstone, giving his brothers an annoyed look.

“Psy’s got a bit of a point, Moe.” Weepy admitted. “We should probably tell Hilda and the others what we’ve found.”

“See? Even Weeps has got enough sense in ‘im to--WOAH!”

The tombstone suddenly sank under Psycarrot’s weight, crumbling to the ground and taking the large vegetable with it.

But that wasn’t the only humiliation Psycarrot had to endure. Before he could rise from the heap of rubble the tombstone had been reduced to, the material began to shift and change in color from grey to blue.

“What the hell is this-- ** _EUGH!!!_** ” Psycarrot tried to pull himself up as the former tombstone shifted about, but it was like he had fallen into a pile of bubblegum. Strands of the sticky blue substance clung to the side of his face, making him flinch back and flail in an attempt to get them off.

They did eventually snap back to the ground, but not before the carrot had given out a pitiful wail, making Moe and Weepy try their best to hide their snickers.

 

The blue gunk that was once the tombstone quickly gathered itself up, forming a sphere barely bigger than a beach ball. Slowly, features began to appear on it, such as two large eyes, a wide grin, and a small red nose.

“Sorry boys!” The sphere said once it had stopped shifting. “Normally I don’t hold my transformations for that long, but I guess I fell asleep. Then this big guy put his arm on me and that woke me up.”

“Wait… So, are you--” Moe began, but the sphere cut him off.

“Goopy Le Grande, yes! The roughest, toughest, slime ball in these here parts!”

“We’re glad to see you’re okay, Mr. Le Grande,” Weepy said, always the formal one. “But, uh, if I may ask… Why were you disguised as a tombstone?”

At this, Goopy’s eye widened. He hadn’t expected anyone to ask him that right away.

“A couple of kids just started wailing on me!” He finally managed, seemed annoyed about it. “Didn’t even say so much as a ‘hello,’ or ‘hey, wanna spar?’ Next thing I know, I gotta change into a tombstone and break in order to get them off my back!”

 

“Goopy,” Moe cut in, raising his hands. “You wouldn’t happen to have a contract with the old horned man himself, would ya?”

Goopy narrowed his eyes, a little suspicious at Moe’s question.

“How in the world did you know that--Yeah, I got one, right--”

An arm shot out the side of him, reaching up and removing the top part of his head, which was apparently some sort of hat. When he noticed nothing was under it, however, his jaw hung open.

“Those kids must’ve stolen it!” He managed when he finally snapped back into reality, slamming his hat down and withdrawing his arm. “I _always_ keep it under my cap!”

“Then we’re in the same boat,” Psycarrot scoffed finally recovering from his fall. “The brats took ours as well. They’re going after all the debtors on the island.”

 

“Even Ribby and Croaks?” Goopy couldn’t help but asking.

“They got theirs too,” Moe answered with a melancholy nod. “But we’re all joining together to try and figure out what to do about the boys. You should probably come with us.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Goopy replied with a nod. “Lead the way, Eyes.”

“Eyes? The heck kinda nickname is Eyes?” Moe asked as he turned back the way they had come.

“Yanno! Potatoes are covered in those little spots called eyes!” Goopy insisted, hopping after him. Weepy and Psycarrot followed suit, with Psycarrot giving a snort.

“If anyone should be called ‘Eyes,’ it’s me! I got three of the dang things!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The tune Cagney hums is probably the Floral Fury theme, but maybe more of a music box-like arrangement? Yup.
> 
> BUT UH HEY REAL QUICK if anyone would maybe be Interested in being a beta reader so I don't get frustrated again, why not hmu over on my tumblr, http://snow-ish.tumblr.com (eyes emoji)


	5. In-genie-ous

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you have full permission to shoot me where i stand for the chapter title. i'm sorry.
> 
> \-----
> 
> Anyway, sorry for the wait on this one! It was a teeeeeensy bit of a slog and then I got distracted with other things, so oops. Hopefully the next chapter won't take as long, but, uh, I can't make any promises.

“Maybe we shoulda gone to the Baroness or Beppi first…” Croaks groaned, wiping sweat from his brow. 

 

When the pair had arrived on Isle 2, they had decided to visit the looming pyramid first, home of the great genie, Djimmi. But when they stepped inside the building, they were surprised to find a sprawling desert, with a bright sun beating down on them from above.

“You got a point… Have we gotten any closer to that damn pyramid?” Ribby asked, shielding his eyes from the light to squint at the form in the distance.

They could just barely make it out. A pyramid, similar in design to the one they had entered (though much smaller), sat off in the distance, surrounded by high stone walls and palm trees. They had been walking for about twenty minutes, but the structure seemed no closer than it had upon first arriving.

“Maybe we should--turn… Back…” Croaks started to suggest, but when he turned around, his arms fell in shock. The entrance they had gone through had disappeared. All that remained was miles of sand, stretching out as far as the eye could see.

“What the hell is this?!” Ribby gasped, hopping in place. “Some sorta DEATHTRAP? We’re frogs! We don’t do well in this damn heat!”

“Wish we had some water…” His brother groaned, slumping in defeat.

 

_ “Your wish is my command!”  _

 

The brothers froze, exchanging looks. Had they really just heard that, or was the heat starting to get to them?

Before either could ask the other, a wave of water poured on them from above. The intensity of the falls made the brothers stumble and fall to the ground, but hey! At least it was cold and refreshing.

“Who the--DJIMMI-BOY, IF THAT’S YOU, COME ON OUT! WE’RE NOT HERE TO PLAY GAMES!” Ribby spluttered, shaking excess water off of him. He wouldn’t deny it had cleared his head, but if something like this had happened, there was no doubt the genie was behind it.

Silence. If Djimmi had heard him, he was not responding.

“What’s he gettin’ at--” Ribby managed before beginning to grumble and curse under his breath. They didn’t have the time for this! They still needed to go meet the other debtors on Isle 2, before the Cuphead brothers did!

“Um… I wish Djimmi would appear and talk to us.” Croaks spoke up, looking around cautiously. A bit more thoughtful than his brother, he seemed to already understand what was going on.

 

_ “Your wish is my command!” _

 

**_Poof!_ ** There, standing in front of the two frogs, was the genie himself, grinning widely, the feather on his turban fluttering in the gentle breeze.

“Well? What can Djimmi the Great do for you two?” He chuckled, giving a bow. 

“First, you can tell us why you’ve got us trapped in this--” Ribby started, swinging his arms like he was ready to throw a punch.

“What we mean to ask is, why is the pyramid like this, Djimmi? We seem to be going nowhere.” Croaks interrupted.

“Ah, do you like Djimmi’s new attraction? Reach the pyramid in three wishes, and get a prize!” He puffed out his chest while gesturing to the structure in the distance.

“By the way,” He added, leaning closer to the two. “You have one wish left.”

“But there were no rules or anything! No sign letting us know what we were walking into!” Ribby groaned, exasperated. 

“That’s the beauty of it! You need your wits about you, and you need to think carefully! If you knew what was ahead, it would be far too easy to just wish yourself over there!” The genie replied.

Ribby and Croaks looked at each other, neither really getting Djimmi’s point. But they weren’t here for that, anyway. They needed to focus.

 

“Well, fun n’ games are over, Djimmi. We need to get you and the rest of the Isle 2 debtors, because--” Ribby started, only to be interrupted by the genie.

“No, no, no! The game’s not over until you’ve used up all your wishes! That’s the way it works!” Djimmi insisted, floating up in the air a bit so he could mime laying down on something.

“Okay, you wanna keep playing the game? FINE.” Ribby spat, getting a bit fed up with the genie’s laid-back nature at this point. “I WISH WE WERE BACK OUTSIDE AND YOU WERE READY TO LISTEN TO WHAT WE HAVE TO SAY.”

The genie frowned, looking a bit disappointed, but really had no choice but to grant the wish.

“Your wish is my command.”

 

With a snap of his fingers, the desert was gone. As Ribby and Croaks looked around to get their bearings, they could see they were back outside in the square of Isle 2, a few feet from the entrance of Djimmi’s pyramid.

“What do you want to talk to me about?” Djimmi asked, his tone much less cheerful. He looked quite grumpy at having to stop the fun early.

“Thank HEAVENS.” Ribby said, rolling his eyes. “Croaks, tell ‘im. I need to simmer down.”

“Well, Djimmi,” Croaks started, moving in front of his brother. “We came to ask if you’ve been visited by the brothers Cuphead and Mugman.”

 

At this, Djimmi raised an eyebrow. He wasn’t expect that sort of question, of all things.

“No, you two have been my only participants since last night. The pyramid was closed yesterday because I was prepping this attraction, but I have seen neither head nor straw of the boys.” As Djimmi spoke, his tone was a lot more careful and formal. Apparently the jolly persona was more or less a facade he put up while entertaining.

“Well, that’s good. But we’re also going to need you to come with us.” Croaks followed up, looking apologetic. “We’re gathering all the debtors up, and we still need to speak with everyone on this isle.”

“I… Suppose I can do that.” Djimmi managed, folding his arms. His expression made it clear he wasn’t really up for it, but he was also curious as to why such a stir was being made.

“Great!” Ribby said, having calmed down and pushing his way past his brother. “Then let’s go, big guy!”

_ “You’re only like a head shorter than me…” _ Djimmi mumbled as he floated after the frogs.

 

* * *

 

When the sun was a little higher above the horizon, the Root Pack (plus Goopy) had finally returned from the forest. They were surprised, however, to run into Cagney and Chickpea walking about, rather than meeting back up at the garden.

“What’re you two doing?” Moe asked.

“Have any of ya seen Hilda?” Cagney shot back, glancing around. Surely they would have run into her by now. She was just going for a walk, after all.

“Why would we have seen her? Wasn’t she with you?” Psycarrot asked, scowling. “Don’t tell me we just lost the brains of this whole thing!”

“You do realize you just implied you yourself don’t have brains, right?” Was all the flower said in response, making Psycarrot’s scowl deepen. “Then again, if ya did without realizing, that would probably be the case--”

“You wanna say that to my face, ya wilted--”

“ _ Enough. _ ” Moe said, raising his voice. He wasn’t going to have any fights if he could help it. “It’s not a big deal. We’ll just look for her.”

“Well, she isn’t in that direction,” Psycarrot and Cagney said in unison, pointing behind them. For two guys that couldn’t stand each other, they sometimes had brief moments of synchronicity. 

“We could try by her observatory,” Chickpea suggested. “Maybe she went back there for a bit.”

“Not a bad idea,” Weepy said, nodding. “Let’s go, then.”

“And I, the ever-vigilant Goopy le Grande, will lead the way!” The slime ball said as he hopped to the front of the group. He swelled a little, in what could only be his version of puffing one’s chest.

As the group moved out, however, his hopping speed was soon proven to be rather lackluster. He could barely keep pace with the Root Pack, and Cagney and Chickpea were by far the speediest among them.

 

* * *

 

Hilda leaned against the side of her observatory, taking a moment to collect her thoughts. Cagney had been right. Ever since trying to gather the debtors of the isle, her head had been anything but clear. Nerves were getting to her, and she needed to calm down.

Once again, she patted the spot on her chest, somehow expecting her contract to have magically vanished. It was still there. Thank goodness.

“The hell am I supposed to do?” She asked herself, holding her head. Sure, she was pretty responsible, but… Having so many people look up to her, pretty much expecting her to help save their lives… It was a little too much, frankly.

If she could, she would hop on a cloud and fly away from it all. That would be the simplest solution. She honestly wanted to do that, but--No, she couldn’t. She couldn’t just leave everyone else to fend for themselves. That was too cruel.

“Those boys don’t know what sort of trouble they’ve--”

 

“You talkin’ ‘bout us?”

Well, speak of the Dev--Cuphead brothers.

 

Hilda looked up to see the familiar faces of Cuphead and Mugman. The pair were walking over to her pretty calmly, Cuphead with his hands in his pockets and Mugman carrying a sheet of parchment.

“Finally got a hold of you!” Cuphead cried, sounding relieved. “We’ve been looking all over for you.”

“So I gathered,” Hilda growled, adopting a guarded stance. 

“Hey, there’s no need to be harsh,” Cuphead said, flinching back a bit. His tone and expression seemed genuine, but it didn’t convince Hilda to calm down. “We can handle this simply.”

“You’re taking my soul contract. How is that simple? You’re condemning me and several other people to Hell! Do you expect us to just handle that civilly?” 

“Um,” Mugman spoke up, folding the parchment in his hands. “But, if we don’t do this… We’ll be forced to work for the Devil.”

“And you two obviously are worth  _ so _ much more than the rest of Inkwell, aren’t ya?” she snapped. “Well, I got news for you: You--”

“Hilda?”

 

The three of them looked up in surprise at the new voice, seeing a group of people standing at the top of the stairs in the distance. It was the Root Pack, Cagney, Chickpea, and a small blue blob Hilda could only assume was Goopy le Grande.

“Hey, it’s the brats!” Psycarrot shouted, pointing at the brothers. He looked ready to charge at the two, but Moe put a warning hand on his shoulder. They needed to scope out the situation first. 

Cuphead looked to the small crowd, then back to Hilda, furrowing his brow. It seemed he was considering his options before making any sort of move.

“Mugs… How many more contracts do we need to collect on this isle?” He finally asked.

Mugman nervously shuffled the paper in his hands for a moment, but then opened it up to give it a look. After a few seconds of uncomfortable silence, he spoke up, voice unsteady.

“We just need Hil-Hilda’s and… Cagney’s.”

A ripple of unease moved through the debtors, each of them exchanging looks. 

“Well… Hope you all know we’re not leaving without those contracts.” Cuphead said slowly. He took his hands out of his pockets and clenched his fists. 

“Like hell I’m gonna let you take mine,” Cagney scoffed, squinting. “We’re fighting for our very lives here. How about you give the contracts you took back?”

“Fighting for your lives?” Cuphead said in mock disbelief. “Well, so are we! We have two more days after this to gather the contracts of every debtor on the isles! We’re already behind schedule, so why--”

“Cups, what if we--”

“You take care of Hilda,” Cuphead instructed, shooting his brother a look. “I’ll get the weed.”

“You’re gonna have to go through all of us if you want either of those contracts!” Goopy shouted, a fist with a large red glove appearing from the side of his body. 

 

“That can be arranged.” Was all Cuphead said in response.

Before any of the debtors could respond, a flash of light filled the area, making them all shield their eyes. 

What they couldn’t see was that Cuphead was jumping into the air, tilting his head so the top of his cup faced them. Light gathered around it before another flash, and then his attack came.

A wave of milk shot at the group by the stairs, forcing them back. The debtors all stumbled, falling down the steps before landing in a giant soaked pile at the bottom. Luckily, the smaller individuals (Goopy and Chickpea) had landed on top.

“We’re not messing around,” Cuphead called back, turning to look at Hilda. “It’s a cup-break-cup world now, and we’re ready to do what it takes.”

Hilda stared at the child in astonishment, fear creeping up her spine. She hadn’t known they were capable of this sort of attack. What would she do if she were on the receiving end?

“One last chance, Hilda.” Cuphead insisted, holding out his hand and walking closer to her. Mugman, who had been quiet the whole time, flinched out of the way as his brother passed.

 

“I…” Hilda managed, her voice wavering. “I…”

“Give us the contract.”

At this, Hilda’s brow furrowed. No. She couldn’t do it. She… She had no other choice.

“You’ll have to make me.” She hissed.

Before the brothers could get any closer, she summoned a cloud, hopping on with practiced ease. In a matter of seconds, she was already high in the air, seeing the brothers and the pile of her friends get smaller and smaller as she went higher and higher.

Guilt was already flooding her thoughts. She shouldn’t have run. She should have stood her ground and fought the brothers.

But she was so scared. She just needed to get away, to keep her contract safe… Maybe they would understand.

 

“Well,” Cuphead sighed, staring up into the sky. “If we don’t go after her now, who knows how far she’ll go. Let’s go get the planes. At least Cagney can’t leave dry land.”

He began to walk to the west, and Mugman reluctantly followed, glancing back at the spot where the crowd had gathered before being knocked down by his brother.

“I’m sorry…” He mumbled, barely audible. They wouldn’t hear it, but… It needed to be said.


	6. Two-Faced

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! I'VE BEEN UP FOR TWENTY HOURS! HERE'S AN UPDATE!

“Is everyone alright?” Came Moe’s weak groan when the group had started moving again. They had managed to untangle themselves from the results of Cuphead’s attack, but were still soaking wet.

“Yeah, yeah.” Cangey grumbled. He shook himself, much like a dog would, prompting everyone else to groan as they were pelted with more milk. 

“Well, now what do we do?” Psycarrot asked. “Hilda ditched us, the frogs are still out on Isle 2, and the brats are gonna come back for Cagney’s contract soon enough.”

“Well, then they’re not gonna find me. I’m out.” The flower shot back, getting up to leave.

“Wait,  _ out _ ?” Chickpea couldn’t help but ask. They looked over to Cagney, not sure what was coming over him. He had stuck with the group this long, why was he leaving now?

“Yeah. I’m gonna find somewhere those kids won’t be able to get to me.” Cagney answered, barely pausing in his stride.

“Hold on now! You can’t just ditch the rest of us! We’ve been working so hard up to this point, the least you could do is stick around while we help out the other debtors!” Moe insisted, trying to stomp after the flower.

“For your information,” Cagney growled, turning to shoot Moe a fierce glare. “I only agreed to this because Hilda asked me to. Now that she’s  _ literally _ flown the coop, I got no reason to stick around. I can protect my contract a lot better when I’m not having to look after a bunch of wimps who can’t handle a couple of kids.”

At these words, Moe backed off, looking a bit devastated. He tried to come up with some sort of response, but could only stand there in silence, prompting Cagney to scoff and turn around again.

“He’s got a point.” Psycarrot grunted, not that anyone in the group was paying attention. “There’s not a whole lot we can do aside from twiddle our thumbs now.”

“Can it, Psy, we really don’t need your damn--” Moe began, but cut himself off when he noticed Chickpea had gotten to their feet.

Without so much as a glance to the others, they darted after Cagney, who was already quite a distance away.

“Well, now we’re down three people,” Goopy scoffed, turning to the Root Pack. “As the only one who seems to have any inkling as to what they’re doing, I propose I act as the new leader until--”

“Stick a sock in it, gumball!” Psycarrot snapped.

* * *

 

“Quit followin’ me.” Cagney said, not even bothering to turn back to Chickpea. They weren’t exactly being the quietest pursuer, but at the same time, they didn’t really care.

“Not until you come back and help us!” They gasped, having to jog just to trail behind him. Why oh why were their legs so tiny?

“Didn’t you hear me back there? I got no reason to.”

“Yes you do! You can help stop the boys, and then--”

“I  _ can _ , but I  _ won’t _ .” He snarled, stopping and turning to face them.

Chickpea stumbled a bit in order to avoid bumping into him, but when they regained their footing, they couldn’t help but feel annoyed. Why was he being so… So… LIKE THIS? Why did it take the absence of Hilda to make him change his mind about helping out?

“Why?” They finally asked.

“‘Why?’ ‘Cause I’m not wasting my time with you idiots! Hilda’s the only one outta the group I respect, so if she’s turned tail, then I got no reason to stick around!” He snapped back.

 

“You… Think I’m an _ idiot _ ?”

Chickpea shrunk back a little, surprised at Cagney’s venomous tone. 

“Yeah. What, you think I actually put up with you out of the kindness of my heart? Well, too bad for you, then.” Cagney spat back. 

And then Cagney turned to walk away again, leaving Chickpea to fall to a sitting position on the ground. And here they had thought they were actually getting through to the flower. But no, he was just… Putting up with them.

And then they began to cry.  _ Oooooooohhhh no _ . Nononononono please don’t--But the tears were already flowing. Their face was hot once more, and they could feel their breath get shaky.

_ Sniffle!  _

“If you’re trying to do that little trick again, it’s not gonna work.” Cagney called, already a few yards away. “Go get somebody else to lend their shoulder.”

 

**_“What gives you the damn right?”_ **

 

At this, Cagney stopped. Something was not right. That voice was definitely Chickpea’s, but… Chickpea was still sobbing. This voice was clear, controlled, and full of anger. It overlapped the sobs, but… There was no way--

Not sure how that was possible, Cagney risked turning around to see what was going on. The sight he was met with was enough to make his jaw drop a little in surprise.

Chickpea was sitting where he had left them, hands covering their face, but… There was another… face? A second head was popping up over the first, glaring at Cagney with bright, fierce eyes.

Much like when Chickpea had changed in appearance earlier, the petals on the back of their head were a different color--except this head sported a bright, flame-red hue. The head that was sobbing had the deep blue petals from before.

“Take a picture, it’ll last longer!” The fiery head barked, snapping their jaws for emphasis. Cagney couldn’t help but notice drool dripping from their fangs. “But what gives you the goddamned right to just walk over people like that? We’re trying to help each other!”

“Stop it, Nibbles…” The sobbing head managed. “Just stop. He doesn’t care.”

“AND ANOTHER THING!” The first head, apparently referred to as ‘Nibbles,’ shouted. “What makes you think it’s okay to just openly call people idiots? You may not have feelings, BUT WE CERTAINLY DO!--C’mon Sniffles, let’s get out of here before he tramples us some more.”

“Hold on--” Cagney managed, stepping forward as the plant stood up. Now he could see that Chickpea was quite a bit taller than before, and instead of just one head, they now had two, sitting on long spindly necks that extended from their body. He was vaguely aware of some of the other debtors being able to change form, but he hadn’t suspected Chickpea to be capable of that.

“What?” The crying head, Sniffles, asked after another sob. 

“For starters, what the heck is… This?” Cagney asked, gesturing vaguely at them. “Since when could you do this?”

“Oh, so now you care about us.” Nibbles said with a roll of their eyes. “I dunno! When we get frustrated, this happens.”

“But what about Chickpea? Where did they go?”

“We’re  _ both _ Chickpea,” Sniffles cut in. “Just… Different facets of them. I’m the sad one. Nibbles is the angry one.

“So, like Grim.” Cagney said, remembering the dragon who lived on Isle 2. He tried to keep away from the fire-breathing lizard, but he was aware he could grow heads as well.

“Don’t know who that is, but if it helps you understand, then yeah.” Nibbles scoffed. “And you know why we’re like this? Because of you. You just called us an idiot without really caring for the consequences! Everyone was right. You  _ are _ a grump.”

“Consequences--Why should I care if your feelings get hurt?” Cagney shot back, getting angry again. He had only helped Chickpea out earlier because he felt sorry for them. 

At least, that’s what he wanted to believe. He didn’t want to acknowledge it, but he had actually felt pretty bad about hurting their feelings. But he was already riled up. No way he was going to admit it now.

“I dunno, maybe so you can show you have a basic shred of decen--” Nibbles began but was stopped by their hands clamping over their snout. 

“That’s enough, Nibbles.” Sniffle said through their tears. “Let’s just go home.”

 

And then off they went, walking past Cagney and in the direction of the Die House. Cagney merely stared after them, still unsure how to respond. 

“Hang on, what about the others?” He asked, starting after them. “Aren’t you gonna help them? An-And, you’re a debtor too, aren’t you worried--”

“So _ nooooooow _ you care!” Nibbles said as they turned to look at him. Their body continued walking, but due to the flexibility of their neck, they were able to rotate all the way in order to face him. “Just a minute ago you were all, ‘Why should I care if your feelings get hurt?’ And didn’t give a damn!”

“I  _ don’t _ give a--Why are you giving up just because of some shit I said? You shouldn’t care about what I say! I’m a jerk, and I…” Cagney paused. “I don’t matter.”

“And you know what? You’re right.” Nibbles spat back. “You ARE a jerk. And I DON’T have to care about what you say. 

“But,” Sniffles said quietly. They had stopped walking, but didn’t turn to face Cagney like their other head had. “Do you really think you don’t matter? Is that why you’re grumpy to everyone?”

Silence filled the air, and the plants stared at each other. Nibbles fixed Cagney with a fiery gaze, and Cagney simply looked back with a vacant expression.

“Do you want to know why I sold my soul?” He finally asked, his voice barely audible.

“I--What?” Nibbles, actually caught off-guard for once, blinked. 

“Come with me back to the garden… And I can tell you everything there.”

* * *

 

By the time they had arrived at Cagney’s garden again, Chickpea had managed to calm down. They were now back to their short stature and singular head. 

Once they were settled, Cagney began to explain things.

“I wanted to be… Alone. I was sick of people bothering me. Thinking back on it, it seems like a really stupid thing to sell your soul for, but--I’m a flower, dammit! I had people stopping by to sniff me practically every damn minute!

“Nothing changed at first. I was still being bothered. But then as time went on, I started to… Say things. Things I didn’t consciously mean to say.”

He took a shaky breath.

“That’s how it’s been whenever I’ve snapped. I-I don’t know how to even explain it. It’s like somebody was talkin’ over me, saying whatever I could to get people to go away. Eventually it got to the point people were spreading the word I was a big grump, so… I kinda accepted it. I was alone! What I wanted, huh?”

Chickpea tilted their head uncertainly. Was he really so averse to company? He sold his soul for solitude? 

“But then it got… Frustrating. Even when I was in a good mood, I’d say terrible things. It came up at the worst of times. So whoever dared to get near me didn’t do so for very long,” Cagney continued. “Hilda… Hilda was the only one who put up with it, so we formed a bit of a friendship that way. This… Situation I got going on, it’s… Terrible. But then I realize it’s a lot better than having to serve the Devil, so…”

The flower sighed and sagged his shoulders. It felt… Good to get all that out. He hadn’t told anyone, not even Hilda, and it was honestly long overdue. 

“Fer some reason… I feel like I can confide in you a bit.” He admitted, turning to look at Chickpea. “Like I did earlier today.”

Chickpea, however, wasn’t exactly paying attention. They were actually lost in thought, and a bit close to laughing. Oh, how ironic things were. 

In fact, it was so ironic, they started giggling out loud a bit. 

“Chickpea?” Cagney asked, narrowing his eyes. This was unexpected. Were they laughing at his troubles?

 

“I’m sorry, it’s just…” Chickpea said between laughs. They looked like they were having trouble keeping their composure.

“I asked for the exact opposite--When I sold my soul, I mean.”

“Opposite?”

“You asked for solitude. I, however… Asked for company. I asked to have a friend. But… I didn’t specify how that friend would come to be, so…”

As they spoke, Chickpea began to calm down, sighing tiredly. 

“That… Thing happened. When I get too sad or angry, out pops a second head.  _ But what better company can one have than one’s self, huh? _ ” They said with another sigh.

Oh. Well that certainly cleared quite a bit up. 

Cagney wasn’t sure how to respond to this confession, given he hadn’t really asked for it. He supposed it made sense, though. The Devil wasn’t above messing with those who sold their souls to him.

“So now I’m still friendless. I guess I can talk to myself when things get bad, but… It’s not what I wanted.” They finished in a low voice.

“Hey now,” Cagney suddenly spoke up, raising a hand. “I wouldn’t say that--What about the others? Root Pack n’ the rest?”

“I just met them, though.” Chickpea insisted. “I don’t think they consider me a ‘friend’ just yet.”

“Well…” Cagney trailed off, not sure what to--Wait, no. But… Would they think that way?

“Do you consider me a friend?” He asked carefully.

Chickpea didn’t answer right away. It seemed like they hadn’t expected him to ask that. They looked at Cagney with a bit of a shocked expression, but then glanced away. Was it just him, or did their face flush a bit.

“May-Maybe…” They admitted. “But given what you said, you’ll probably start pushing me away at some point.”

“I wouldn’t say that,” He said, laughing a little to diffuse the tension. “Now that you know that’s the case, you can see right through it.”

 

“Mhm,” They replied, looking sullen again. It seems his words didn’t do much to reassure them. “It’s getting late.”

Sure enough, the sun was already starting its descent towards the horizon, meaning pretty soon it would be time to sleep--Or at least attempt to. 

“I’ll be fine here,” Chickpea mumbled, rubbing their eyes a bit. “You can go… Off into that forest if you want to.”

Well, Cagney certainly wasn’t going to do that. Especially not after upsetting them earlier. That would just be a cold-hearted thing to do. 

“Nah,” He insisted, moving over to them in a smooth motion. Within a couple of seconds, he had coiled to form a makeshift nest, just like he had done last night, and let Chickpea slip inside.

“I just wouldn’t feel right leaving you here by your lonesome.” He admitted.

Chickpea seemed a little surprised Cagney was being so nice once again. Was he trying to apologize for how he had acted earlier? Well, in any case, they were getting tired, and they weren’t one to look a gift horse in the mouth.

“Alright, then,” They managed in response. “But next time something happens, wake me up, okay?” They didn’t like waking up in the middle of the group’s conversation that morning.

“Noted,” Was all Cagney replied.

As Chickpea curled up to get some rest, Cagney was left alone with his thoughts. Normally, he’d be used to this--He had always been alone, after all. But for once, this time felt… Different.

Was it because he had confided something very personal in Chickpea? Or was he stressed about the cup brothers getting his contract?

_ Probably shouldn’t worry about that, _ he thought, closing his eyes.

Even if he couldn’t sleep, he could probably do with a few hours of quiet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey-hey! If ya liked the story so far, be sure to leave a comment and stuff! That's really what motivates me, and I love hearing your thoughts on everything so far!!


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